


Bandages and Feminine Hygiene

by Fordtato



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Gen, Other, Trans Character, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-23
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-08-10 12:58:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7845997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fordtato/pseuds/Fordtato
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once upon a time, Stanford Pines didn't know he was Stanford Pines. He just knew nothing felt right.<br/>Backupsmore might have been the lowest point of his life, but his time there comes the chance to be someone else, anyone else.<br/>But what happens when he slips?</p><p>(AKA Trans Ford trusting McGucket with his secret — a birthday gift for the-ford-twin)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bandages and Feminine Hygiene

Ford Pines had survived the last 48 hours on nothing but 2 hours of sleep, a jar of peanut butter, and a gallon jug of milk refilled with black coffee.

His hands were shaking, his vision was starting to blur, and he was pretty sure he had seen God about ½ a gallon in, but that was no reason to stop—this paper was due at noon and the clock had just struck 10 a.m.

“Hey lover boy, you had company over last night?”

Ford jerkily turned to see Fiddleford McGucket leaning against the door-frame.

Ford spoke to McGucket without stopping his writing, or noticing that his words were starting to trail off the page and that he was scribbling his concluding paragraph with black ink on the countertop. 

“Fiddleford, I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m in the zone, and this essay is due in—”

Nothing in the natural world short of an oncoming truck could have made Ford stop working on his essay, but when he noticed the pink bra hanging from Fiddleford’s grasp, the pen fell from his hand and he turned to face him.

“Well, Ford, this bra got in here somehow, and you know the roommate agreement. I’m all for you having a little fun, but you gotta let me know when we have company.”

“Um, no. It’s not like that. I could explain—”

“Ford, it’s okay if you had a girl over. To be honest, I’m a bit surprised— I always figured your type was more along the lines of tall scientists that died in the ‘40s, but hey, different strokes for different—

“It’s mine.”

The silence thickened between them to the consistency of frozen yogurt and Fiddleford cleared his throat.

“Well, Ford. I suppose…. Um…. I’m not here to shame you. My cousin Thistlebert does the same thing—he goes by Pussycat DeLure at this one club, and it really is something—”

“Fidds, it’s not _drag_ , it’s….”

Ford swallowed and stared at his hands, at the unfinished essay, fighting stray tears gathering on his eyes, because this wasn’t supposed to be how Fiddleford found out.

(because Fiddleford wasn’t supposed to find out at all, **no one was** , the only good thing about stupid fucking Backupsmore was that being in this stupid fucking school meant no one knew who he was, and being able to be someone else, anyone else, about not needing to be Farrah Pines anymore, about changing his name and cutting his hair and cutting away everything he used to be because it was the only way to feel real, because say what you want about Stanley but his brother was the only one who let “he”s and “him” roll of his tongue without reminders and the only one who ever made Ford forget he was Farrah, and Stanley was the one who had even thought of “Stanford” because _it’s just like that school for nerds amirite and I think Ford suits you real well bro_ and even if dad made Stanley leave before they could work out the confusion of that night, Ford didn’t want to go back to being Farrah, he couldn’t but now that was in jeopardy, how could you leave the bra out you _stupid_ —)

Without a word, Ford stood and strolled away from the desk to a false floorboard by his mattress. He and Fidds had found the compartments beneath the floorboards on their first night sharing the dorm— and what used to be filled with skin magazines from the 20’s and old condoms left behind by ne'er-do-wells of semesters past was now filled with new secrets. Ford’s secrets. Bras and tampons and thick tape that rolled around his chest after showers, that constricted his breasts to the point where he couldn’t breathe, but at least made him feel like _him_.

Fiddleford let out a deep breath and sat on the mattress, leaning his chin into his palm and looking thoughtful.

“ _Wow_.”

“Yeah,” Ford replied, quietly staring at his thumbs, at his fingers, down and at his shirt.

Fiddleford looked at the bra still in his hands and pondered some more. “You…. you’re doing a lot of flattening.”

Ford nodded a bit, shirking away and replacing the loose floorboards. “Yeah. Um. Bandages.” he offered, sounding a bit confused. _Why isn’t he reacting?_

“Does it hurt?”

Ford was taken aback— Fiddleford wasn’t angry. He just looked concerned.

“Yeah.” Ford said, with an exhale. “Yeah it does. But there are things that hurt more.”

Fiddleford nodded, understanding more than Ford suspected, and leaned back against the mattress.

“And all the hiding? All the… well… hurting yourself? It’s worth it?”

Ford pondered and stared at his fingers, opening and closing a fist as he thought. _Is it worth it?_

“Yes. It really is.” He looked up at Fiddleford and looked him square in the eye. “Look Fidds, this is who I am and—”

“Well, yeah.”

Ford paused. Fiddleford seemed so nonchalant about... _all of it_.

“Who am I to tell you who you are? On another note, we’re two geniuses, Ford.” Fiddleford said, with a small smile. “I’m sure we can come up with a better way to bind em’ up. A way that _doesn’t_ hurt you.”

They shared a glance, Ford’s sheepish and Fiddleford’s knowing, and with a short laugh, wiping away his tears, Ford nodded.

“You know, I’ve been working on some experimental material that might do the trick with a bit more breathability, and I’d really love another pair of eyes on my work…..”

**Author's Note:**

> Note: This is not a part of "Jersey Boy", but the next chapter of that is IN THE WORKS and should be out soon-ish. I'm sorry that deadline keeps getting pushed back.


End file.
